Trivets are well known household items used as stands, particularly for hot items. Generally, trivets are used to place hot items, such as plates, pots, etc., on tables, counters or other surfaces to keep the hot item from marking the surface.
Since the items to be supported are often of varying size, expanding trivets have been designed. These generally come in two varieties, pivoting and sliding. The first type is generally formed with two or more members connected by one or more pivots that, upon rotation about the pivot(s), the members can be oriented to form larger or smaller sizes. Examples of expandable trivets utilizing such pivotable connections are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,967,803 and 4,725,028 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0034755.
Expandable trivets that use the sliding mechanism usually employ rods between two or more members, where the members are slid on the rods to move away from one another. Examples of expandable trivets formed with rods on which the members slide are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. D388,278 and 6,000,666.
Additionally, there have been changes in the materials used for trivets over the years. Traditionally, trivets made from natural materials such as metal, ceramic, wood and stone trivets were widely used. More recently, upon the advent of high temperature plastics and elastomers, including silicone, trivets have been made from man-made materials. However, expandable trivets have only been formed of multiple parts that move in relation to one another, which increase the cost and complexity of manufacture.
Therefore, an expandable trivet that does not require multiple parts would advance the art.